“So, you’re always wondering, “Have I been good enough?” and “Have I done enough?” And, if something bad happens to you, you wonder, “Is God paying me back for something?” This kind of life leads to constant anxiety and eventual exhaustion.”

“When we think of ways to grow in our love for God and our neighbors, we often think of public or visible acts of service in which we give our time and resources: volunteering in church, donating money and clothes, babysitting for a tired mom, cooking a meal for a mourning family, and the like.

But have we ever considered that loving God and loving our neighbors well means that we must know God’s Word well?”

“The thing about God’s goodness—the thing we’ve spent our whole marriage learning—is that it doesn’t cease even when, all around us, goodness feels lost. God’s goodness isn’t a gift he doles out. His goodness is his character. It’s who he is. And because it’s who he is, it’s all he does. Everything he does is good because he is good.”

“God’s ways are far higher than our ways. But God’s plans are much higher, loftier than that. His plans are made in His perfect character—both wisely and graciously. It would go against His character to make a plan that was anything less than perfect.”